Art therapy uses art materials, the art making process and the therapeutic relationship to improve holistic well-being. Sometimes, there are topics, conflicts or emotions that can be too difficult or overwhelming to talk about. Art making and reflecting with a trained therapist can be a safe way to express, release, navigate, contain and process these.

However, you do not need to be facing any distress or problems to try art therapy. Through therapeutic art workshops, you could also build emotional resilience, cultivate inner peace, strengthen your relationships, gain insights, learn more about yourself and your loved ones, or simply relax and have fun.

Art and art making has been woven into the everyday social life of our ancestors and human societies all over the world for tens of thousands of years. It was only during the Enlightenment period with the birth of museums, galleries, art dealers, art critics and artists that we began to move away from thinking and experiencing ourselves and communities as inherently creative and artistic.

It can feel intimidating to explore art making when we have been told growing up what art is and is not, and what good art is and is not. However, art making in art therapy is process-driven and it taps into and engages the creativity that already exists within all of us.

Art therapy is not just about drawing, shading, painting- you can drip ink, tear paper, weave yarn, carve wood, cut canvas, assemble stones, stitch leaves, smear paint and so much more. I wholeheartedly believe that art making is a fundamental human need and practice, and is a resource that is and should be available to everyone.

An art therapy session can range from being fully structured or not structured at all, can involve a lot of conversation or not very much at all. The first session or two usually involves gathering a deeper understanding of your personal, familial and cultural history, making sense together of how these threads and narratives shape your life challenges, and the potential outcomes or changes you would like to make. I may offer specific directives or mediums, and I may incorporate mindfulness and body-based techniques through art. However, I believe a collaborative approach is the most effective and powerful one- so I hope that we can work together to continuously alter the sessions in ways that suit you best at each step of our journey together.

The wonderful thing about art and the art making process is that there is no single or fixed meaning to it! Our art and process is as fluid and alive as a breathing creature, and can hold multiple, shifting meanings. We can ask questions and converse to make sense of the artwork together. The meanings and perspectives they offer can even change over time, especially with artworks that are reworked on over several sessions, or even over your lifetime.

Counsellors usually provide a space to talk through issues and work on a more short term basis with managing and coping with specific situations. They do not diagnose or provide mental health treatment plans.

Psychologists are trained to assess and work with diagnostic systems, and often employ tools like CBT, DBT and ACT, which involves identifying and changing thinking patterns.

Psychotherapists employ a psychodynamic approach to understand and change the internal, subconscious driving factors that shape long-standing attitudes, beliefs and behavioral patterns. It involves enquiring about one's childhood, one's relationship with their caregivers, as well as the therapist's own reflections on their responses to the client and their art.

While all three professions work towards the client's wellbeing, the approach and sessions can intersect and overlap depending on the practitioner's background, professional development and orientation. The unique combination of the practitioner's personality and their life and work experiences are also factors to consider when looking for a suitable therapist.

I warmly welcome anyone from any background, and with any issue to my practice.

However, I am experienced and interested in these specific areas: conflict resolution, emotional regulation, addiction, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, work stress and burnout, dating and relationships, adoption for adoptees, estrangement for adult children, challenges with giftedness, thriving as a highly sensitive/intense person.

No, I am unable to diagnose, but I can work with anyone who has been given a diagnosis.

However, I am an opponent of diagnostic systems and labels. The DSM has undergone multiple and extensive revisions over the years has long been criticized for many aspects such as its unclear definitions of symptoms, lack of valid data, and reliance on subjective clinical judgement. It describes observations of a set of behavioural patterns, thoughts and emotions, but does not explain anything.

No mental 'disorder' has been shown to be associated consistently with any biological or genetic markers or mechanisms. There is no equivalent blood test or enzyme test to reliably confirm that any mental illness is cause by chemical imbalances, unlike say cancer or diabetes.

Receiving a diagnosis can be validating and help one take their first steps toward healing. However, diagnoses give us little insight into the multiple, complex, underlying reasons for our distress. They are also often conceived of as genetic and lifelong, so diagnostic systems can be destructive when one resigns to the condition and/or subconsciously places limits on the different ways in which they could possibly learn, adapt, grow and heal.

Regardless of the condition you have been diagnosed with, it does not define who you were, who you are, and most importantly, who you can become.

Having experienced complex childhood trauma, I am intimately familiar anger, sadness, fear, abandonment, loss, betrayal, guilt, shame, anxiety, addiction, and hypervigilance.

I understand the ups and downs of being neurodiverse and intense, and used to struggle with formal education as well as navigating everyday life and relationships.

Because I have been through my own therapeutic journey with different therapists, my experience with mental health and my journey of healing and relational practice is not merely at a theoretical level, but a personal and experiential one. I am a wounded healer walking alongside you on your journey towards balance and wholeness, while being on mine.

Majoring in the multidisciplinary Global Studies before I did my art therapy training helped me to learn about the complex power structures that shape the norms, expectations and roles of our worlds which impact with our wellbeing.

Professionally, I have work experience in several different jobs across the arts, social and education sectors; in a student care center, art school, clinic, museum, conservation NGO, fundraising NGO. I also regularly attend workshops and conferences for professional development.

Being a therapist is intense work. We go through rigorous training, while engaging in constant self-reflection, and deep self-care. It requires sensitivity, presence, attention, preparation and analysis. Money may seem transactional, but to me, it is a gesture of appreciation for one’s effort and time.

The fees help cover the cost of art materials, professional supervision, professional development, and registration with my professional regulating body ANZACATA.

To make therapy more affordable, my rates are significantly lower than the market rate. If you are facing financial difficulties, please do not hesitate to email me and we can work something out.

I understand that it can take several sessions of therapy to work through a difficult situation and I wish to make therapy accessible enough for you to have as many sessions as you might need.

Unfortunately, I do not provide Medicare rebates and I do not operate under NDIS at the moment but I am in the process of working towards making that happen.